COVID-19 Weekly EPI Report

Released on February 17, 2022

As Saskatchewan transitions to Living with COVID, the second weekly COVID-19 integrated epidemiological (EPI) report is being released.  The integrated epi report is a deeper analysis of multiple data sources. It provides a more comprehensive profile of trends and includes laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths, tests, vaccination information provincially and by zones, as well as hospital and ICU census trends and distribution of rapid antigen tests. The epi report this week looks at data from Sunday, February 6 to Saturday, February 12, 2022. The hospitalization data is a comparison from Wednesday, February 9 to noon February 16, 2022.

The integrated epi report will be released weekly on Thursdays and can be found online at Saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-cases.

Summary for the week of February 6 - 12, 2022

• 12,079 laboratory tests were performed in Saskatchewan reflecting 10.0 tests performed per 1,000 population.
• The number of tests was just over two-thirds of the number of tests in the previous week.
• About one-fifth of laboratory tests were positive (weekly test positivity of 20.2 per cent).
• Test positivity was about two-thirds of the test positivity value in the previous week. 
• 2,522 new cases were confirmed reflecting about 2.1 laboratory-confirmed cases per 1,000 population.
• The number of new laboratory-confirmed cases was less than one-half of the number of new cases in the previous week.
• There were 242 new lineage results reported this week. Of the 242 variants of concern (VOCs) identified by whole genome sequencing, 99.6 per cent were Omicron.
• Based on data recorded in Panorama, the public health database, there were 42 newly reported COVID-19 deaths, almost twice the number reported in the previous week (22). 
• There were 39.9 COVID-like illness patients (CLI) per 1,000 in emergency department (ED) visits, a decrease from 47.1 per 1,000 the previous week. 
• Twenty-two (22) confirmed new COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and care home settings were reported this week. This is about two-thirds of the 34 outbreaks that were reported the previous week.
• As of February 12, of the population five years and older, 85.4 per cent received at least one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine and 79.9 per cent completed a series.
• Among the population 18 years and older, 50.4 per cent had received at least one booster vaccination.
• As of February 14, there has been 34 Paxlovid prescriptions and 189 monoclonal antibody infusion treatments.
• There are just under 17.5 million rapid antigen test kits that have been distributed in the province. They are easily accessible at 630 locations around the province.

Public Health Orders

The remaining public health orders requiring masking in indoor public spaces and mandatory five-day isolation for individuals with positive COVID-19 tests will remain in effect until the end of day, February 27. All public health orders will be removed as of February 28, 2022. 

Continue to Protect Yourself and Your Community

Residents are encouraged to continue to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 including wearing your mask, taking advantage of free rapid testing, regular handwashing, staying home when ill, and getting vaccinated, including your third/booster dose as soon as you are eligible. Booster/third dose eligibility now includes everyone 12 years of age and older.

Information about Saskatchewan Health Authority vaccine clinics and participating pharmacies is available at Saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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